After serving as the managing editor of news at USA Today for nearly two-and-a-half years, Ron Smith is back in Milwaukee as the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service's new editor. Smith, a Marquette University alumnus, has joined forces with the Diederich-School-of-Communication-sponsored organization to rethink how the city does journalism.
Smith plans to educate and illuminate the community through something new to NNS: original beat reporting; focusing on underrepresented topics, groups and individuals.
"Two things that we want to do are to celebrate the community. So, continue telling stories that are positive and portray the communities we cover in a positive light. But, the second part is illumination," says Smith. "I want to be able to shine light on issues and people that no other media outlet will do."
He hopes through bold, original beat reporting and utilizing multimedia methods, the NSS can become a media powerhouse within Milwaukee and beyond.
